For some time, electronic musical instruments have been known that, together with a so-called automatic performance system and generating musical tone signals in response to the operation of a performance operator, such as a key or a pad, store, in order, the information that indicates the timing for the generation of the musical tone signals and, by the reproduction in order of the information that has been stored, are able to generate musical tone signals that are based on the reproduced information.
However, with the electronic musical instruments of the past such as those described above, although it is possible to store information that indicates the timing for the generation of the musical signals based on the operation of the performance operators, it has not been possible to store performed sounds from the performance of musical instruments other than electronic musical instruments, such as drums and guitars.
In general, in the performance of music, performances by electronic musical instruments and musical instruments other than electronic musical instruments such as ensemble playing, frequently occurs. However, with the electronic musical instruments of the past such as those described above, nothing but the information that indicates the timing for the generation of the musical sound signals from the performance of the electronic musical instruments could be stored and, when the stored information was reproduced, only an extremely unsatisfactory musical expression could be obtained.
If a system that records the performed sounds such as, for example, a tape recorder or a hard disk recorder is employed, it is possible to record both the performed sounds that are generated by the performance of the electronic musical instruments and the performed sounds that are played by the musical instruments other than the electronic musical instruments. However, because the information that indicates the timing for the generation of the musical tone signals, which is based on the performance of the electronic musical instrument, is not stored, it has not been possible to subsequently edit the information.
More specifically, with the electronic musical instruments of the past, as well as with tape recorders or hard disk recorders, the storage of performed sounds that are played by musical instruments other than electronic musical instruments, in conjunction with the storage of the information that indicates the timing for the generation of the musical tone signals that are based on the performance of the electronic musical instruments, has not been considered at all.
Embodiments of the present invention take into consideration such situations as those described above. At least one objective of embodiments of the instant invention is to present an electronic musical instrument in which the storage of the information for indicating the timing for the generation of musical tones originate from such things as the operation of a performance operator or a musical instrument digital interface ("MIDI") input. Moreover, by means of making possible the storage of the information that indicates the timing for the generation of the musical tones which is the timing for the read-out of the appropriate performed sounds, together with the storage of the performed sounds from the playing of musical instruments other than electronic musical instruments, such as drums and guitars, a satisfactory musical expression can be obtained when the information that has been stored is reproduced and further, it is possible to edit the information.